1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for tuning a transmitting and receiving antenna to a resonant frequency. More particularly, the invention discloses an antenna, such as that used in conjunction with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, having a plurality of fuses or antifuses, or both, in conjunction therewith. The fuses and antifuses may be initiated to extend or shorten the antenna to tune to a resonant frequency.
2. State of the Art
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology uses electromagnetic energy as a medium through which to send information. Small radio frequency communication systems, such as a RFID tag, may be affixed to various articles so that the articles may be easily tracked during movement from one point to another, or identified, such as through a sales transaction. Therefore, one may tag objects such as items, animals, and people, to be identified or tracked automatically via a reader. The reader may be connected to a host computer which may additionally contain data related to an object""s identification code associated with the RFID tag. Furthermore, an RFID tag conventionally also contains programmed information about an object to which it is attached. Through the use of such information, RFID technology may be used to identify objects automatically and without manual handling operations as is required in most bar code systems. In a conventional RFID tag system, a receiver, a transmitter, an antenna, and memory are implemented. RFID tags, their use and operation are well known in the art.
Additionally, the general structures and methods of fabricating RFID tags are well known in the art. RFID tags are enabled to receive, store, and transmit article-identifying data with a remote base station. RFID tags have been implemented using a variety of methodologies to allow a user to perform any number of desired identification functions. For example, RFID tags may comprise read-only or read-write capacity. Additionally, passive RFID tags may be implemented with an internal power source, or without an internal power source, drawing their power from the radio frequency (RF) energy transmitted from the reader. As well, RFID tags may be configured to operate at low, medium or high frequencies, depending on the needs for a desired application. U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,581 to Lilly et al. (Jul. 7, 1998) even describes an RF semiconductor circuit which may selectively operate at low, medium and high frequencies by switching between three separate antenna systems.
To function with a given system, an antenna must be tuned to the internal circuitry and signals transmitted and received by the system. Tuning systems and circuitry for adjusting the internal antenna circuits of RFID tags and similar circuitry are also known in the art. As indicated in FIG. 1, conventional RFID antenna tuning systems comprise internal circuitry 2, such as that ordinarily found in an RFID tag, an antenna tuning circuit 4 coupled to the internal circuitry 2, and an antenna 6 coupled to the antenna tuning circuit 4. The antenna tuning circuit 4 conventionally compares a signal characteristic, such as signal frequency or amplitude, of a received signal with a similar or other characteristic of a signal within the internal circuitry 2. By making adjustments to the antenna tuning circuit 4 settings, the RFID circuit may be tuned to a resonant frequency to optimally receive signals from a remote system transmitting to the internal circuitry 2, and optimally transmit the internal circuitry 2""s response. In this way, the received and transmitted signal amplitudes are maximized and, thus, more reliably interpreted by corresponding circuitry.
Adjustments to the antenna tuning circuit 4 may be made by the internal circuitry 2, or by a testing device during a testing process. In making adjustments to the RFID circuit settings to tune to a resonant frequency of a communication system, conventional antenna tuning circuits modify the impedance of the antenna tuning circuit 4 by adjusting a variable capacitive or variable inductive element, or both. Once a modification is made, or coincidental with the adjustment being made, the signal characteristics are again compared and more adjustments made until the resonant frequency settings have been determined. Examples of conventional radio frequency antenna communication systems using various forms of impedance adjustments are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,398 to Tuttle (Oct. 19, 1999), U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,581 to Lilly et al. (Jul. 7, 1998), U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,715 to Flaxl (Feb. 13, 1996), U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,110 to Tuttle et al. (Sep. 5, 1995), U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,724 to Sharma et al. (Oct. 25, 1988), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,723 to Lysobey (Dec. 4, 1984), the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The internal antenna tuning circuit components, however, undesirably add to the size of the device, particularly in RFID applications where a desire is for a smaller system. Additionally, by interposing capacitive and inductive components between the antenna and the internal circuitry, additional power is consumed in activating those elements, and additional heat is produced. Furthermore, radio frequency communication devices operating at higher frequencies (several hundred megahertz) are difficult to tune using variable circuit impedance elements such as inductors and capacitors. It is therefore desirable to have a small radio frequency transponder circuit, such as that used in RFID tags, which does not require an additional internal antenna tuning circuit so the overall system can consume less power, produce less heat and use less space.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for tuning a radio frequency antenna, such as that used in radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, to a semiconductor circuit using additional antenna segments coupled to the antenna by fuses and antifuses. According to a first embodiment of the invention, at least one antenna for a RFID tag is disclosed. The antenna comprises a main antenna portion, a plurality of antenna portions, each coupled to the main antenna portion by a fuse, and a plurality of antenna portions, each separated from the main antenna portion by an antifuse. A method of the present invention uses a testing device having probe hardware, software and antenna tuning hardware to test one of the responses of the antenna to a test signal and a signal transmitted from the RFID tag. Based upon the response of the antenna, the testing device may initiate a connect or disconnect operation to attach an additional antenna segment through an antifuse if the antenna is determined to be too short, or detach an antenna segment through a fuse if the antenna is determined to be too long. Alternatively, the testing device may do nothing if the antenna responds within specifications. Additionally, if the testing device determines that the antenna response is not within specifications but cannot determine whether the antenna is too long or too short, a method of the present invention has the testing device initiating either a fuse blow operation or an antifuse connect operation and then retests the antenna system to evaluate whether the antenna response improved or became worse as a result of the change. Further testing is based upon the response of the modified antenna. If all of the fuses have been blown, or all of the antifuses have been connected and the antenna still does not operate within specifications, the RFID tag is rejected. The antenna segments attached to the main antenna through fuses and antifuses may be attached in series or in parallel, though series connection is most preferred.
A second embodiment of the invention discloses an RFID tag having internal circuitry, a main antenna and a plurality of antenna segments, each coupled in series to the main antenna through a fuse. The antenna system may be intentionally fabricated such that at least one fused segment needs to be detached for the antenna to operate within specifications. A method of the present invention of testing the RFID tag includes testing the antenna using a testing device such that an antenna response is measured and a fuse is blown if the antenna is determined to be too long or out of specification limits.
A third embodiment of the invention discloses an RFID tag having internal circuitry, a main antenna and a plurality of antenna segments, each attachable to the main antenna in series through an antifuse. The antenna system may be intentionally fabricated such that at least one antifused segment needs to be attached for the antenna to operate within specifications. A method of the present invention of testing the RFID tag includes testing the antenna using a testing device such that an antenna response is measured and an antifuse is connected if the antenna is determined to be too short or out of specification limits.
A radio frequency communication system is disclosed comprising a processor, a memory device, an input, an output and a storage device, a transceiver and a plurality of RFID tags, each having internal circuitry, a main antenna and a plurality of antenna segments, each associated with the main antenna by at least one of a fuse and an antifuse.